


The Main Quest

by paragraph (ebcdic)



Series: [I don't want to] set the world on fire [1]
Category: Actor RPF, Dark Angel RPF, Gilmore Girls RPF, Smallville RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fallout, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Anal Sex, Artificial Intelligence, Assassins & Hitmen, Blood and Gore, Blow Jobs, Bombing, Branding, Character Death, Coming In Pants, Cyborgs, Dirty Talk, Fertility Issues, Fist Fights, Frottage, Future Fic, Gangs, Genetic Engineering, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Making Out, Marking, Mercenaries, Minor Character Death, Murder, Mutants, Post-Nuclear War, Prisoner of War, Rebuilding, References to Drugs, Rimming, Science, Slavery, Snipers, Survival, Tattoos, Vigilantism, Weapons, simulations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 10:55:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12746910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebcdic/pseuds/paragraph
Summary: Two hundred years after the Great War that ended abruptly in 2077 when nuclear weapons were launched all over the world, Jensen Ackles emerges from an underground vault in search of his father. Along the way, he picks up two tag-a-longs: a Raider named Jared with a secret to hide and a Cyborg named Murray who may or may not be pre-war material. No matter how hard Jensen insists that he has to do this alone, Jared and Murray won't leave his side. Together, they wander what used to be Washington DC looking for clues to Jensen's father's whereabouts. But the Capital Wasteland is full of secrets, some more deadly than others, and Jensen's father is hiding one which may be humanity's biggest advancement since the atomic bomb. In the right hands, a secret like that could save the world, but in the wrong ones it may just be the final bow for humanity. It's up to Jensen; will he be a hero, even if it means giving up his own life?





	1. the battle for wasteland supremacy

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the video game, Fallout 3.

_War. War never changes. The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower._

_But war, war never changes. In the 21st Century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time the spoils of war were also its weapons. Petroleum and uranium. For these resources China would invade Alaska, and the United States would annex Canada and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation states bent on controlling the last remaining resources on earth._

_In 2077, the storm of world war would come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. From the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization struggled to arise. A few were able to reach the relative safety of the underground Vaults._

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Network broadcast recovered in California_

Jared had joined the Raiders because it didn't seem like there was any other option at the time. His parents are slaves in The Pitt and would probably remain so until the cancer ate them alive. His older brother had escaped when his parents were captured and was supposedly up in Ronto, and his little sister had been sold off to some sick fuck back in the Capital Wasteland a long time ago. Like everything else in the Wastes, it all came down to survival.

He's gone from nothing but tattered slave clothes to wearing full-body armor with an entire arsenal at his disposal. Not only that, he has his own gang to back him up. It took him awhile to whip them into shape and realize that they didn't have to kill and pick the carcasses like vultures; it's far easier to just demand and move on. Most people in the Wastes don't have weapons and those that do like to conserve their ammo for real threats like Super Mutants and the Enclave. 

It's not like it's all cake though; they've got the fucking Mercs and Slavers to contend with not to mention the ever high and mighty Brotherhood of Steel. Jared takes pleasure in killing off the Slavers, but he'd rather not deal with the rest of them; Super Mutants are big and dumb, but they don't go down easy. His gang has wasted more ammo and lost more men to the yellow-skinned freaks than he likes to count. Mercs think they're killing people off to maintain anarchy, which is a bunch of pretentious bullshit if you ask Jared. Of course nothing is as bad as The Brotherhood of Steel on that score with their pointless quest to rebuild technology, as if that's ever going to fix anything.

Right now, his crew is bunked down in Springvale, which they took over by slaughtering another gang and then putting the heads up on pikes to warn other humans away. Milo's got a bonfire going in the lobby courtesy of some pre-war money and a flamethrower. It isn't pretty or nice, but it's home. For now, anyway.

Murray's trying to take him for all his caps over a game of checkers with half the pieces missing when the howling starts. Alexis and Lauren take off to investigate without Jared having to say a word, so he relaxes back and makes his next move.

"Probably some fucking rabid dog going ape shit over an Eyebot," Murray mutters as he stares at the board.

"Or a Ghoul wandering about," Milo chimes in.

"Nah, I'm thinking Mirelurk. They scream like that when their babies get killed," Jared says with a shrug. "Nothing the girls can't handle, anyway."

Only what the girls bring back looks like a human. He's covered in filth but his eyes are clear; they show some intelligence there. Not feral then even if he is baring his teeth like one. Jared motions the girls closer and they drag the human forward until he's kneeling at Jared's feet. 

"Little shit bit me," Lauren snarls.

She grabs the human's hair and yanks his head back so his throat is exposed. Alexis leans in and runs a wickedly long fingernail against his skin in lieu of the knife strapped to her hip. "I could cut him. He'd make a pretty head for our mantle."

Jared tilts his head, taking in the beauty beneath the filth. "Give him a bath and put him in my quarters."

Lauren smirks at that before lifting the human to his feet. "Gonna make you all pretty for the boss to fuck up." 

Alexis cackles and practically skips ahead of them toward the stairs. Jared is going to have to watch those two a bit closer. They're getting too bloodthirsty for his tastes.

"You always were a sucker for green eyes," Murray snickers. 

"Shut the fuck up and make your move, Murray," Jared mutters, kicking him under the table.

_Leaving the Vault._  
_Be sure to follow these basic rules._  
_Rule Number 1: Line up in an orderly fashion._  
_Rule Number 2: Use protective eye wear. Years of living in the Vault can make the eyes sensitive to natural light. Without protective eye wear, extreme eye damage can result!_  
_Once outside the Vault, prepare to live life anew!_  
_With help from the…_  
_Garden of Eden Creation Kit or G.E.C.K._  
_Use the GECK to create the new world you've been waiting for…_

__

__

_*results may vary_

_\--Excerpt from a Vault-Tech presentation recovered in the ruins of New York City_

 

Jensen really, honestly expected to be dead by now. His cushy life in the Vault didn't exactly prepare him for the utter chaos of the Wastes. Out here, there's no clean water, no clean anything for that matter, and most people will take chems over food any day of the week. He learned this the hard way back in Megaton. No one would give him any information; help him with anything without something in return. It's not like Jensen came out of his Vault loaded down with caps though. They don't even use caps as currency down there; everything is rationed. 

Against his better judgment, he's still wandering around looking for his father. It's not like he has anything better to do; the Overseer isn't going to let him back into the Vault and he doesn't have the caps to bunk down somewhere. So he aimlessly heads north, which turns out to be a huge mistake.

First there's the damn rabid dog that tries to kill him and then two half-naked girls kidnap him. Apparently so he can be some overgrown brute's sex slave. At least he got a bath and some water to drink out of the deal, even if it wasn't clean. Now he's just got to figure out how to kill this guy and escape. After searching the room all he comes up with is a bent tin can, which is absolutely worthless, and it's not like he can take the guy on with his bare hands if he's hopped up on chems like most Raiders. At least they didn't rip his Pip Boy off him; the computer hardwired into his right forearm is his life-line and the one advantage he has as a Vault-Dweller. 

He taps in to check his vitals and he's really got to repair his right leg but the bitches took his Stimpacks. Sleeping will probably do some good for the meds he's already got swimming in his system but it'll also leave him vulnerable to that big motherfucker downstairs whenever he decides to make an appearance.

With a heavy sigh, he sits down on the edge of the mattress. He needs to get to Galaxy News Radio and find MAX. Every passing minute stuck here is putting him farther and farther behind vital clues. MAX could be dead by now and then what? That's his last lead. Not like anyone in Megaton will tell him jack shit now considering he killed their only bartender, even if it was an accident.

Okay, maybe not exactly an accident, but the asshole had it coming.

When the door opens, Jensen jumps up and gets ready for a fight. No way is he becoming a slave and no way is he letting this guy touch him either.

"Hey, I'm Jared. I run this gang," the guy says as he closes the door behind him.

Jensen watches him but doesn't say anything. He's not going to be this guy's friend either. Raiders are almost as bad as Slavers; they get off on killing people. It's sick shit is what it is. Like there isn't enough death in the Wastes without doing it for fun?

"This isn't like you think. We're not like the others," Jared continues.

"Really? Those heads on pikes out there say different," Jensen can't help but snarl.

Jared blushes like he's embarrassed or something. "Yeah, not my idea, trust me."

"Sounds like you got some leadership issues then."

While Jared's obviously trying to think up a retort, Jensen tackles him to the ground and slams his fists into his face. He's not buying the nice guy act. No one in the Wastes can afford to be kind, not when every day is a struggle to survive. Of course, Jared hits him back because no one gives up without a fight either. 

They wrestle on the ground for awhile, throwing punches, kicking, and doing whatever it takes to cause maximum damage. In the end, Jensen winds up flat on his back with Jared kneeling on either side of his chest. Even without the Pip Boy, Jensen can tell his left arm is broken. He spits out a mouthful of blood at Jared's face and uses the momentary distraction to shove the other man off. 

Jared grunts but doesn't come back at him. Instead he wipes his face off with the hem of his shirt and then leaves the room. Jensen knows his only shot at surviving is getting enough sleep for the meds in his system to repair at least some of the damage so he slowly crawls to the mattress and closes his eyes to wait.

_War. War never changes. Since the dawn of humankind when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has spilled in the name of everything from god to justice to simple, psychotic rage._

_In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation._

_But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world, but war, war never changes._

_In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust deep in enormous underground shelters known as Vaults. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the Wastes to greet them._

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

Instead of going downstairs and letting his crew take care of him, Jared grabs a Stimpack from the supplies in the bathroom and shoots himself up. He doesn't have some fancy computer hardwired to his body like the Vault Dweller to tell him if he's healing properly or not, so he does it the old fashioned way: through touch. His ribs are definitely not in the best of shape and somehow he broke one of his toes, but aside from a few bruises and cuts, he's perfectly fine. 

Still, going downstairs is just going to invite mockery and possible dissension. What Raider can't take down a harmless, unarmed, pale little Vault Dweller? Especially one that had already been beaten? 

No, it's best that he stays away until the meds have done their stuff. So he slumps down outside of his room and sips a bottle of water while he contemplates what he should do with his captive. The guy isn't dead but he's going to need some medical attention. Jared can't afford to give him more than one or two Stimpacks and his injuries probably require more than that. It would help if they had clean water, but they used that all up when Murray had a run in with some Super Mutants. 

There's always Megaton, but he'd have to give up all his armaments to the Sheriff going in and there's no guarantee he'd get them back. No guarantee that quack doctor they have is going to sell him more meds either. Better to find a Trader or have the girls go foraging. 

Best to just dump the guy outside of Megaton and hope someone takes pity on him. 

Instead, he gets up and grabs his emergency Med-X out of its hiding space behind one of the toilets in the bathroom. It's not going to do much for healing, but it'll take the pain away and prevent any further damage, at least for now. 

He pushes open the door and finds the captive curled up on the dirty mattress, obviously trying to heal. Jared drops to his knees and carefully picks up his right arm, holding it in the air. It takes him a few seconds to find the right vein, but the man doesn't even stir as Jared slides the needle home. He empties the syringe into the captive's body and then folds his forearm toward his bicep in lieu of a tourniquet. Once he's stopped twitching in his sleep, Jared plunges a Stimpack into his thigh, shoots him full of meds and then tosses the medical waste into the corner. 

For the next half hour, Jared watches the captive heal, makes sure his arm sets properly and that he sweats out any toxins. There's no need for Jared to hold a bedside vigil, not with the way they guy's all cybered up; the Pip Boy would've made him put his arm the right way in his sleep. He just feels like he should because he's never liked the violent side of this life. 

_From groceries to electronics, gardening supplies to home décor, Super-Duper Mart has it all!_

_This week's special – Buy 3 frozen Salisbury Steak entrees, get 1 free!_

_Join the Super-Duper Discount Club today and get 10% off all in-store purchases. See register for details_

_\--Excerpt from a newspaper advertisement salvaged from the ruins of the Capital Wasteland_

Jensen wakes up slowly and nearly has a heart attack when he finds Jared sleeping beside him. Carefully, he gets up and creeps toward the door, pausing every time Jared so much as twitches in his sleep. When he gets out in the hallway, he's relieved that none of the other Raiders are hanging around because even though he's healed up some, Jensen knows he can't take on all of them.

He searches through a couple of the rooms, looking for more supplies for his pack and then takes the back stairs down to the main floor. The others must be in the main lobby, because Jensen's Pip Boy isn't picking them up on the radar, so he's easily able to sneak out one of the side exits back into the Wastes.

When he's far enough away to feel safe, he checks his vitals and is surprised to see that he's at full health. It doesn't make much sense to him because Raiders aren't exactly known for their sharing and caring sides. Maybe Jared really is different, but Jensen doesn't have time to think about that. He needs to get to the Capital Wasteland and find MAX.

Three days later he's in an abandoned Super-Duper Mart fighting off a different gang of Raiders. All he has is a 10mm pistol and knife while they have submachine guns; not to mention that he's outnumbered. He's hiding behind what used to be the pharmacy counter, backed into a corner where they would have to lean over the ledge to see him and where he can see the door. The door is locked but he can hear them out there, the sound of metal scraping on metal while they try to pick the lock, making his heart hammer. Of course, they could just leap the counter, but he'd have the advantage there being able to see them before they discovered what corner he's in. 

Suddenly there's a blast of a laser and then the sound of heavy boots pounding on linoleum. Jensen listens carefully; just because someone likes killing off Raiders doesn't mean they'll let someone like him off. When he finally hears the squeak of rubber, he sighs in relief; a Protectron. At least he knows how to disable those after dealing with them in the Vault for years. 

He sneaks up behind it and yanks its wires. Sometimes a disable goes wrong and they go crazy, shooting everything in sight. Thankfully, this one just goes dead, laser still pointed at a dead Raider. Jensen kneels next to the dead body and pats it down, looking for supplies. He comes away with a couple of rounds for his gun and a handful of caps. Not much, but better than having to buy the ammo or steal it. 

After eating a can of cold beans, he ventures back out in the Wastes. Galaxy News Radio is northeast of him now, maybe a couple more days of travel. A trader told him that the Capital is cut off in most places, rubble too high and dangerous to climb over, bridges collapsed, and Super Mutants everywhere. The only way to get anywhere is the long abandoned Metro but then you've got any number of creatures to deal with, including Deathclaws. 

Jensen's been lucky so far; all he's run into are Rad Roaches, Raiders, and one particularly slow Ghoul. The closer he gets to the heart of the Capital, the more likely it'll be that he'll run into worse predators. He's not ready for a battle with a gang of Super Mutants, not with shitty weapons and a bad diet of radiation-poisoned food and water. 

No, he needs to go south to Rivet City first.

_Our American way of life, isn't it grand? Peace, freedom, and bacon and eggs. Seems perfect, but what if it's not? Friends, your future may not be as secure as you think. Where will you be when the atomic bombs fall?_

_You can secure your family's future by reserving a spot in a state-of-the-art, underground vault from Vault-Tec._

_That's right, Bob. Act now and your family can wait out the horrors of nuclear devastation indoors. The vault will have all the amenities of your modern day home and it's attractive._

_And, Sally, in the Vault, you might you might meet that special someone, just as you would on the surface. In a few short years, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers will re-populate our great country._

_And, Billy, you'll have lots of swell kids to play with!_

_Reserve your family's spot in a state-of-the-art, underground vault today! Sign up now and prepare for the future!_

_\--Excerpt from a Vault-Tec advertisement scavenged from the ruins of the Capital Wasteland_

Jared isn't surprised to find that the Vault Dweller stole away while he was sleeping, but he is disappointed. It's been a long time since he felt a kinship with someone outside of his gang. That man is a fighter and Jared gets the feeling it's not just the normal fight for survival. No, he had passion in his eyes: a purpose, direction. Something most people don't have these days and Jared is curious. Who is he and where did he go?

Except that right now there's the more pressing manner of dealing with his gang. At best he'll be mocked for letting the captive escape; at worst, there will be mutiny. With how blood thirsty the girls have gotten, Jared has a pretty good feeling on which way it's going to go. He knew from the beginning that he only holds a tenuous thread of control over the gang and someday it would be time to get out while he still could.

Seems like today is as good as any other.

He can be as ruthless as them in his own way. While they're sleeping, he takes everything, all of their supplies and caps, and leaves them with nothing. On his own out there, Jared will need all the advantages he can get. They would do the same. 

When he kneels down next to Murray to steal his supply of chems, he hesitates with his hands over the man's heart. Murray has been by his side from almost the beginning and he loves him like a brother. Maybe he can lure him away from the others; it's not like he has any loyalty to them, really.

"Murray," he whispers into his ear. "Get up."

Murray's eyes snap open and immediately meet Jared's. When Jared presses his finger against his friend's lips, he nods and then quietly follows Jared outside. Even once it's impossible for the others to hear them, Murray doesn't say a word, just tilts his head, taking in Jared's bulging pack. After a second, he nods and then gestures toward the east. Jared nods in return and they take off running.

A day later, they stop for rest in an abandoned farmhouse. Jared pauses in the entryway, taking in the neatly stacked pile of trash near the sink; someone was here recently. Judging by the smell, maybe two days ago. He thinks of the Vault Dweller, wonders if it was him, before moving inside and checking for Rad Roaches. It's clean so he waves Murray inside.

"You gonna tell me what's going on now?" Murray asks as soon as they settle in.

Jared sighs. "You know I never liked the violent side of this life."

"Sometimes it has to be done." Murray shrugs. "Not like this is the life I'd choose either."

"So I had to get out while I still could," Jared finishes.

Murray studies him closely for a long moment and then smirks. "And that had nothing to do with a certain mysteriously vanishing Vault Dweller, right?"

Jared fights back a blush. "Maybe."

"You know, it wouldn't be too hard to track him," Murray offers.

It was definitely a good idea to bring Murray with, Jared thinks. Best tracker Jared's ever met. Not a surprise considering he was a Merc for years, hunting down every do-gooder the Talon Company sent him after with startling efficiency. Until he was hired to hunt down Jared and turned into the hunted instead. Being a fighter in the Pitt as a teen did have its advantages after all, even if Jared doesn't like to fight; he'd rather solve things with words or caps than fists.

"You already are tracking him, aren't you?" Jared asks even though he already knows the answer.

Murray just lifts a single eyebrow, his mouth titled in a slight smirk before he settles down on his mattress, closing his eyes. Jared laughs softly and then does the same.

_Food Riots Rile Feds_  
_By Walter "Street Beat" Munroe_  
_Capital Post Staff Writer_

__

__

_It would appear that Washington's tolerance for American social disorder has finally reached its breaking point. In a recent public statement, White House spokesman Warren Eccleston said, "Okay, Americans are hungry. We get it. Well I've got news for you—things are tough all over, people. The President himself has been forced to substitute cube steak for his nightly prime rib, and the only wine available is a detestable Chateau Montrose 2043. But does he whine? Does he take it to the streets like a rabid Red? So please, good people, please. Wait in line. Get your food. And then go home. We're Americans! We do not solve our problems with violence."_

_\--Excerpt from an article in the 'Capital Post' from Monday, January 11th, 2077_

Jensen decides to take the long way to Rivet City, avoiding the DC Interior. While this means avoiding stronger enemies, it also means scavenging for supplies and going without sleep. The latter is much more of a problem because every injury slows his body down and forces him to use Stimpacks to make himself healthy again instead of letting the chems already in his system do the job. And it's not like Stimpacks are growing off trees.

The worst was running into a Yao Guai two days ago. It came up on him so fast that Jensen barely had time to raise his shotgun, and despite the blast to its shoulder, the thing kept coming at him. He knew Yao Guai's claws were sharp, but he didn't expect it to cut through his armor. It took ten rounds to take the thing down and Jensen's still got claw marks on his stomach.

Now he's limping and bleeding like a stuck pig with only one Stimpack left and a Talon Company camp on the horizon. Those guys kill people like him for sport. No way he'll make it past them without being noticed. He leans his back against a boulder, facing away from the camp and pants heavily, the wound on his stomach isn't bleeding as heavily anymore, but he's still not healed fully and he can feel his muscles cramping up. Bile rises in his throat and he turns to the side, spitting it out against the dry earth. He wipes his face with the back of his hand and then taps into his Pip Boy.

He's practically dead. Besides the Talon Company camp, there are two predators directly ahead of him, maybe two hundred yards away. If he's lucky, he can pick them off before they realize where he's hiding. His 10mm feels like it weighs as much as a grenade launcher as he hefts it up, using the Perception and Agility hacks in his system to aim. 

The shot goes wide, missing the one on the left by at least a foot. He swears under his breath as the two marks separate on his screen, circling toward him. His vision swims and even with the help of his enhancements, he can barely focus enough to hit the one on the right in the left thigh as it comes within fifty yards. By the spikes on its shoulder, Jensen identifies it as a Raider and he groans. He's fucking tired of these guys. Never wants to see one again after what happened in Springvale.

The one on the left is getting closer by the second and Jensen fires, aiming for its legs, hoping to slow it down. He misses again. Too damn fast for a Raider; maybe a Merc? No, they don't work together. Could be a Slaver though, and no way in hell is Jensen letting himself be captured and sold off to the highest bidder. He raises his gun again only to get tackled from his right side.

Fucking Raider must have Strength enhancements to keep moving after a shot to the leg. Jensen struggles to get his gun up again but gets pinned to the ground instead. He looks up, finds a familiar face, and swears, trying even harder to buck the guy, Jared, off.

"Calm down," Jared hisses, pressing his body against Jensen's from chest to hip. 

Jensen spits in his face and tries to aim his knee cap at the wound in Jared's leg. He has a brief moment of satisfaction when Jared grunts in pain before his vision whites out, leaving him in a haze of numb bliss.

_Get that special someone the perfect gift!_  
_Gaping chest wound?_  
_No problem! You've got a…_  
_Vault-Tech Stimpack!_  
_Stimulation Delivery Package at 12.95, fed tax included_

_\--Excerpt from a newspaper advertisement scavenged from the wreckage of a doctor's office in the Capital Wasteland_

Jared rolls off the Vault Dweller when he goes limp and then glares up at Murray. "Did you have to do that?"

Murray shrugs. "Little shit was going to alert us to the Talon camp down the hill."

"Yeah, and now we have to carry him." Jared gestures at the pale, limp body next to him, delirious from the dart sticking out of his neck, the tip poisoned with Murray's own chem concoction designed to tranquilize with the added side effect of an increase in libido. It's sick but has netted them a fortune in caps.

"Eh, I did you a favor."

He tosses a bottle of water at Jared, which he uses to clean his wound before sucking it down in big gulps. At least the bullet just grazed him and didn't do much damage other than a slight burn on his skin. Murray kneels down next to the Vault Dweller and shoots him up with a Stimpack, snickering when the guy moans and shifts his hips. 

"You're a sick fuck, Murray," Jared drawls.

"You know you want to hit that," Murray replies without a hint of remorse.

"Not exactly interested in rape, thanks," Jared snaps.

Murray shakes his head as though he thinks Jared is a naïve dumb shit and Jared has to resist the urge to punch him. Man has the morals of an alley cat sometimes. Even with years of exposure to Jared's kinder side, Murray's hard wired to be a Mercenary and still falls back on all of that training when he's threatened or nervous.

"Sorry," Murray mutters when Jared keeps glaring at him.

Jared sweeps the Vault Dweller up into his arms and then nods at his pack. "C'mon, pick that up and let's get going."

It takes a day for the chems to wear off and not a moment too soon. Jared is anything but a saint and having a hot piece of ass rub up against him like a cat in heat is really testing his self control. He dumps the guy in the bed of a truck at the sight of a traffic accident stuck in time and then sits there waiting for him to come completely out of it.

It's no surprise that the guy immediately comes up swinging and Jared just pins him down until he stops moving. When the guy cuts his eyes away, Jared backs off slowly.

"I think it's about time you told me your name, Vault Dweller," Jared says with a placating smile.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" the guy groans instead.

"You're the most interesting person I've come across in a long time," Jared confesses, his smile growing wider and more genuine.

"Jesus, you're like a mangy little puppy that won't go away," the guy mutters and then sighs. "It's Jensen. My name is Jensen."

_Sugar Bombs_  
_Explosive Great Taste!_  
_Free Captain Cosmos Decoder Ring Inside_

_\--Excerpt from a newspaper advertisement scavenged from the wreckage of a home in Alexandria, Virginia_

The smile Jared gives him could light up a whole building and Jensen almost feels good about playing nice. Sure, the guy is apparently stalking him and doped him up, but he doesn't seem to have murderous intentions. At the moment, anyway.

Jensen sits up slowly and sighs in relief when he looks down and finds no more claw marks. His stomach does rumble in complaint though. Jared laughs and tosses him a box of Sugar Bombs.

"All we got for food right now," Jared says when Jensen makes a face at the box.

"Whatever."

He rips into it and chows down. It's nasty shit; cardboard covered in sugar, but it's food. Something Jensen hasn't had in awhile. When he's done, he tosses the empty box onto the road and then stares out toward the horizon. His Perception picks something coming up on his right side and he whips his gun out, surprised for a second that he still has it, and aims. Jared grabs his arm, pinching a nerve, and Jensen is forced to drop the gun.

"Something's out there, asshole," Jensen snarls, reaching for the gun again.

Jared whistles and one of the guys from back in Springvale jogs up to the truck. Jensen narrows his eyes. Now that he gets a better look at the guy, the short hair gives him away as a Merc rather than a Raider. His custom armor is much too sophisticated though; not the spiked shoulder pads like Jared or the skintight stuff Mercs normally wear. 

"Jensen, Murray. Murray, Jensen."

Murray nods at him and Jensen nods back. When Murray's right iris spins and then narrows, Jensen jumps back slightly in surprise. Of course, both Murray and Jared laugh at him for it, but while he has his Pip Boy wired into his right arm, it's still his arm and not bionic.

"He's a Cyborg," Jared explains unnecessarily. 

"Yeah, I got that," Jensen snaps. 

"Shouldn't stay here too long," Murray murmurs as his left iris slides to the corner of his eye. "Too much exposure."

Jensen is thinking the same thing, only he's thinking that although these guys have helped him, he needs to get away. Nothing is for free around here and Jensen doesn't have anything to give in return except his body. Even if Jared is attractive in a Neanderthal punk kind of way, Jensen doesn't have time for distractions.

He hops off the truck and picks up his gun and pack. "Right. Well, it's been… interesting. Later."

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Jared exclaims, climbing down after him. "You're not going anywhere—"

"Let me go or I'll shoot you both," Jensen interrupts as he raises his gun.

Murray smirks and before Jensen can even blink, the gun has been knocked from his hand. Only Murray is standing in the same place and Jared is too far away. 

"He's also a Silent Runner," Jared explains, again unnecessarily.

"Neat toy to have," Jensen grudgingly admits.

"I'm not a toy," Murray growls. "I'm a highly trained assassin."

"And what I meant before I was rudely interrupted," Jared interjects. "Is that we're coming with you."

"Like hell you are," Jensen protests.

"It's not safe for a pale little Vault Dweller like you to be wandering around on your own, especially not in the DC Interior." Murray points in its general direction. "Especially not with Super Mutants and the Brotherhood of Steel and The Enclave all over the place."

"Not to mention that if MAX is talking about you on the radio, the Mercs have got to be after you by now," Jared adds.

Jensen whips his head around to stare at him. "You know MAX?"

"Who doesn't?" Murray says dismissively. "Now are we moving or what?"


	2. aiding and abetting the vault dweller

_I come from a place far to the Northwest. It's called The Pitt._

_My people, some of the only survivors, are slaves. Nearly everyone who lives there is sick, dying, or worse._

_\--Excerpt from a holotape recovered in Rockopolis after most of the population was captured and sold into slavery_

Jared had to fight just to survive since the moment he was born, yet he's always been lucky. Not many people are able to conceive children, even if they are, it's not likely that the fetus will survive to birth and even if it does, it's highly unlike the baby will make it into adulthood. Both of his parents were breeders and they managed to have three healthy children. Unfortunately, they were also branded as slaves from childhood. 

His parents got captured again after fifteen years on the run, when Jared was just 10 years-old. He grew up in The Pitt where everyone mined for steel as soon as they were able to pick up a shovel. It didn't take long for Jared to figure out that the only way to escape was to become one of them, the Raiders that ran the Pitt. The only way to do that was to fight in The Hole and kill his opponents. 

He still winces when he thinks of the blood on his hands from people just as desperate as him to escape death.

It feels good to have a purpose now; even if he's not entirely sure why Jensen is so keen on getting to MAX. All MAX does is announce shit everyone already knows over the radio and play songs recorded by people who died long before the Great War.

They're wandering through the Metro system, have been for days, and Jensen is still barely speaking to him or Murray. Jensen seems to think he doesn't need them despite the fact that Murray has gotten them through the system with no more than a couple of scratches. 

"I could've done that," Jensen mutters after Murray's killed off a nest of feral Ghouls.

Murray just snorts and then starts patting down the bodies looking for Caps. Jared watches Jensen's face twist a bit in disgust. Whether it's over Murray or scavenging, Jared can't tell and doesn't ask, because it doesn't really matter; both are necessary in the Wastes, more necessary than morals, modesty or even retaining the basic components that make a human, at any rate.

Jensen is a mystery in many ways. 

Most Vaults opened more than a hundred years ago as programmed. Vault-Tec thought that by then most of the radiation would have cleared up after the nuclear bombing that effectively ended the Great War between China and the United States, but also made most of the planet completely uninhabitable. So it's strange to run into someone who must have been born in a Vault, whose parents and their parents were probably born underground as well. 

It must have been a shock for them to come to the surface only to find nothing but a wasteland. A United States nothing like what they surely studied in their history books as part of the mandatory Vault-Tech curriculum. Meanwhile, people like Jared could barely read and only knew what was passed down from survivor to survivor over the years.

"Let's get moving. Only a couple hundred feet left until we can get back above ground," Murray says, interrupting Jared's thoughts.

He's right, and they find themselves in what used to be Chevy Chase but is now a bunch of rubble. Murray has them hold at the exit and sweeps the area. There's a blast of gunfire and Jensen moves toward it, but Jared grabs him and holds him back.

"What the fuck, man?" Jensen pushes Jared away. "He could be in trouble."

"Not fucking likely." Jared shrugs. "Besides, he hasn't given the signal."

"Do you always let him fight your battles for you?"

This time, Jensen is up the stairs before Jared can stop him.

_What do you want?_  
I have joke for you. Ready? Knock knock.  
Who's there?  
Humans.  
Humans who?  
Kill the humans! Kill them all!   
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Oh… oh! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!   
That's a good one! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! 

_\--Excerpt from a conversation between two Super Mutants in the Capital Wasteland_

Jensen knows Murray is a capable guy. He knows it's probably safer to sit around until he comes back. But Jensen has never been one to let someone else fight his battles or do his dirty work, and he's not going to start now just because, for reasons he still doesn't understand, some super human Cyborg is following him around. 

So he comes out fighting, his 10mm raised to find Murray backed into a corner, trying to fight off a Super Mutant with his bare hands. Jensen's gun isn't going to do much, other than annoy the yellow bastard, but he shoots anyway and it gives Murray just enough time to grab a pipe and break the giant's kneecaps. It goes down hard and Jensen moves in quickly, capping it in the back of the head.

Murray is panting heavily and Jensen can tell his armor is damaged. After making sure the Super Mutant really is dead, Jensen moves toward Murray's side.

"Didn't expect that fucking ugly yellow bastard." Murray spits blood onto the concrete. "Even I have trouble taking one down on my own sometimes. Fuckers are dumb as shit but they've got more strength than ten humans put together."

That's probably as much of a thanks as Jensen is going to get, so he just nods. "Your armor needs repairing, right?"

"Yeah and I don't have the parts to do it."

"What do you need?" Jensen asks as he sets his pack down and starts digging through it. 

"You got any scrap metal? Maybe surgical tubing?"

Nodding, Jensen comes up with the items and hands them over. He watches, amazed, as Murray strips his armor and then proceeds to repair it with nothing more than a hammer. 

"You've got some crazy Repair skills," Jensen murmurs.

"Been around long enough to pick up most skills."

Murray slides his armor back on while Jensen shoulders his pack again. He's curious about how long Murray has been around because he looks like he's maybe in his twenties but no matter how quickly you grow up in the Wastes, there's no way to pick up skills that fast. 

"How long?" 

He doesn't expect Murray to answer. For a long moment, he's sure the man didn't even hear him.

"Since before the Great War," Murray finally answers as his eyes narrow in on Jensen's face. "Jared may not have a damn clue what you're doing but I sure as fuck do and I'm not about to let you get us killed over it."

Jensen's mouth opens and then shuts before he blurts out, "How the fuck do you know? I don't even know!"

"Your daddy's a famous man 'round these parts."

Before Jensen can ask about that, Murray whistles and Jared comes running. It doesn't make sense to Jensen; how can his dad be famous when he just came out of the Vault a couple of weeks ago? What has he done in that time? Where is he hiding? 

"Fucking Super Mutants," Jared spits in disgust. "Must be more around here then."

Jensen shrugs his pack back on, holstering his 10mm for now. "Lucky for you, Murray and I aren't scared as shit to take them down."

"I'm not scared," Jared snarls.

"Prove it," Jensen smirks.

_"And now, a little story. A story about a boy who climbed out of a hole. I'm talkin' about that Vault Descendant, of course. Here's the latest."_

_\--Excerpt from Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

The closer they get to Galaxy News Radio Plaza, the louder the sounds of lasers and the pounding of heavy feet get. Jared is still seething over Jensen's comment even though he knows it's partially true. He's not a coward so much as a survivalist and Murray has always come out okay from fights with even the toughest enemies. Why should Jared risk his neck when Murray is trained--no, genetically and technologically enhanced--to kill? 

Murray holds them off behind a pile of rubble and goes to scope out the noise. The heavy footfalls have to be Super Mutants, but the lasers could be anyone; and there are some groups Jared would rather not mess with, so let them kill each other off while they keep safe. Jensen, of course, has other ideas; he keeps tapping into his Pip Boy, checking his ammo, scoping out the area beyond their hiding spot with his Perception. 

For someone who spent his life in a Vault, Jensen has a lot of survival and tactical skills. 

"Fucking Brotherhood of Steel is knocking off some Super Mutants," Murray announces as he comes back to them.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Jensen asks.

"Hell fucking no," Murray laughs. "Bunch of self-righteous assholes can go fuck themselves."

Jensen looks like he's going to protest, but instead he goes back to fucking around with his Pip Boy. Jared sighs and adjusts his armor so the padded leather with spikes sits right on his shoulder. Murray has some crazy grudge against the Brotherhood of Steel and Jared suspects he may have been in the splinter group of Outcasts on the West Coast at some point, but the man isn't exactly the sharing and caring type. It took years to get Murray to talk about the past at all and even then all Jared could get out of him was that he came from a big family, all of them long dead, and that he has a pathological hatred of green beans.

Now he's following around another closed-mouthed son of a bitch. What did his momma always call men like that? The strong and silent type? Murray and Jensen definitely fit that bill. They're also both stubborn and tenacious and apparently hell bent on getting themselves killed.

"They're gone," Jensen says a few minutes later, flashing his Pip Boy at Murray. 

They come out from their hiding place and run across the Plaza and into the Galaxy News Radio building. The lobby is deserted except for a machine pitching softballs at the entrance. One almost hits Murray in the groin and he slaps the thing off with a growl.

"MAX! Get your ass down here," Murray bellows up the stairs.

Jared's heard MAX on the radio for years but he's never met him. From the voice he hears, he's expecting an older guy. Some cool cat who read a little too much about the glory days. The person that comes down the stairs would have been his last guess on the planet.

MAX is a petite brunette woman with a killer smile. She's wearing coveralls and her hair is in pigtails. No, this is not what Jared would've pictured at all.

She immediately goes to Jensen and hugs him. "The Vault Descendant! The Lone Wanderer!"

_"Okay, children. I've got the skinny on the Capital Wasteland's newest Citizen. Curious? Of course you are. Check this out."_

_\--Excerpt from Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

Jensen doesn't know what do to when MAX hugs him, so he falters between hugging her back and pushing her away. He cannot believe that this girl is the voice he hears on the radio. The deep voice that howls during every broadcast.

"Voice modulator," MAX grins as she pulls back. "Like anyone would listen to me otherwise, huh?"

She nudges Jensen's ribs and then drags him up the stairs. The building is remarkably clean, all things considered. Her broadcast booth is a mix of old and new parts though. Obviously, she's scraping by just like everyone else despite her fame.

"You do realize you're supposed to be, you know, alone, right?" she asks as she perches on the edge of her desk.

"Not really." Jensen looks over his shoulder where Jared and Murray are hovering in the doorway. "I'm just looking for my dad."

"Ah, yes." She hops off the desk and yanks open a drawer, pulling out a pad of paper and a pencil. "Dear old Dad. Just saw him a couple of weeks ago."

"So you can tell me where he is?"

MAX winks at him. "Sure thing, sweetheart. But you know nothing's for free in this town, right?"

Jensen's jaw drops as she starts unbuttoning her coverall. "Whoa!"

"Oh, please." She rolls her eyes and then pulls out a wrench from an inner pocket. "You're going to need this."

"For what?" Jensen gapes. 

She scribbles something down on the pad of paper, rips off the sheet and hands it to him. "This. You fix my satellite, I tell you where Daddy Dearest is, got it?"

Jensen was taught to never hit a lady and that's the only reason he keeps his fists at his side. "I could make you tell me."

"I'm sure you and your punk friends could, but how would you know it's the truth?" 

"How do I know you're going to tell the truth at all?" Jensen counters with a growl.

"I'm a fair and reasonable human being." She looks over Jensen's shoulder at Murray and Jared. "Ain't that right, Chad?"

"Just for that, I should let him hit you, Jessica," Murray grumbles.

"You have a first name and you never told me?" Jared punches Murray in the arm. "Asshole."

While Murray and Jared are arguing, Jensen leaves down the back staircase. Once he's outside, he unfolds the note and sighs. Directions to one of the old museums and then instructions on how to use old technology to fix the Galaxy News Radio broadcast signal. Not exactly something he wants to waste his time with at the moment. 

Besides, Murray seems to know of his dad at least. Maybe he knows where he might be located. So much for ditching these guys at some point.

 

_"Hallelujah! The Urban Legend is real, children! He's real, and he's out there, everyday, helping poor shlubs like you. The latest and greatest."_

_\--Excerpt from Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

Jared doesn't get why they aren't helping MAX but he follows Jensen and Murray. No, Chad, the fucking bastard. They're heading for Rivet City, supposedly for supplies but Jared gets the feeling that Chad knows Jensen may find his answers there without trading favors. 

Of course, this all depends on them being let into Rivet City. 

Most cities aren't exactly Raider-friendly. He's forced to shuck his armor and tame his Mohawk so he'll at least pass. Chad's robotics aren't as easy to hide, but he just dives off the walkway, something about meeting them inside getting cut off as he hits the water. Jensen, meanwhile, is able to walk right in despite his armaments. 

"What are we looking for here?" Jared stage whispers once they've passed the guards.

"Supplies."

With that, Jensen heads into the bowels of what used to be an aircraft carrier. Now it's a small city of humans who let outsiders in to trade and that's about it. Jensen walks right up to the chems stall in the market and hands over a fistful of caps for five Stimpacks, which he then shoves into his pack. Jared trails behind him as he upgrades to a better gun, an assault rifle, buys ammo for it, and then heads over to the bar.

The alcohol sold in these places is for shit, but Jared takes a beer anyway since Jensen's buying. Some of the locals are eyeing them up like they either want to kill them or are afraid that any second him and Jensen will break out the guns, but the bartender coughs and then they all turn their eyes away.

"Why did MAX call you The Lone Wanderer?" Jared asks just to make conversation.

Jensen rolls his eyes. "Because I'm supposed to be alone. It's a prophecy, I guess. I don't know. Everyone seems to know a lot more about me than I do about anything going on around here."

"So, what, does the world end if you have a couple of tagalongs?" 

"Fuck if I know." Jensen leaves some caps on the bar and stands up. "Let's get moving."

They leave the trading post and head up a ramp into the residential section of the city. Jensen doesn't seem to really know where he's going, but Jared lopes after him anyway. There are some crazy people living here; at least one chem addict and the woman with the kid? Not exactly mother of the year material there, considering she's letting him run ragged while she watches old holotapes on a busted reader. He's scoping out what looks to be a chem lab when he's suddenly yanked into a stairwell.

"The fuck!" 

Someone claps a hand over his mouth, their body pressed up tight against Jared's back. He thinks it's Jensen because he can see the Pip Boy on his arm out of the corner of his eye. The closeness reminds him of the drug Chad shot Jensen up with and how horny he was after, rubbing up against Jared, making him just as hot.

"Murray found a way in, he's a floor below us," Jensen whispers in his ear. "But we have to watch for the guards. All the floors below are restricted access."

Jared nods to show he understands and Jensen removes his hand but stays close behind him. A few seconds later, there's the heavy pounding of boots on metal but before he can think twice, Jensen spins him around and slams him against the wall. He opens his mouth to protest, but that's when Jensen kisses him. 

It's messy and hot and Jared moans low in his throat, his hands reaching for Jensen's hips to pull him in closer. Jensen goes with it, but turns his head from the kiss, nipping his way along Jared's jaw instead. 

"Is he gone? The guard?" Jensen whispers in his ear.

Jared tries to focus over Jensen's shoulder but it's a bit difficult at the moment. He looks at the staircase and sees a pair of feet disappearing up to the next floor. 

"No," Jared whispers back.

He turns his head and captures Jensen's mouth again. Jensen sighs into the kiss, his lips parting as Jared licks across his bottom lip then inside Jensen's mouth, tasting him as he pulls Jensen even closer, spreading his legs so their groins line up. Jensen's cock is a hard, hot line searing into his skin even through their clothes. Jared wants Jensen to take him, to fuck him hard right against this wall. His hands move to Jensen's ass, cupping him right underneath the curve, and he hauls Jensen up higher so they can get better friction.

"Fuck," Jensen hisses against his mouth. 

Jensen throws his head back, panting heavily. It gives Jared the perfect opportunity to admire the long line of his neck and watch sweat pool in the hollow of his throat. He can't help but whimper and then bend his head down to lick up the salty moisture there before moving up to nip his way up Jensen's neck to his ear. His whole body feels like it's on fire, like if he doesn't come, he's going to burn up, explode into pieces like he's been hit by a laser gun.

"C'mon, that's it," Jared murmurs as Jensen snaps his hips harder.

That's when Jensen makes this inarticulate cry, his back arching and his mouth going slack. He's so beautiful like this, Jared thinks as he pulls Jensen closer, attacking his mouth with little nips until his own orgasm hits him. His head hits the wall as he comes. It feels like it's never ending, a long, drawn out moment of bliss. 

When he's nothing but a boneless mess, Jensen gives him a soft kiss and then steps away. His eyes are the brightest green that Jared's ever seen, his mouth is kiss swollen, his neck littered with bruises, and there's a wet patch on his pants; he's the most beautiful creature Jared's ever seen. 

Jensen coughs and then rubs a hand against the back of his neck. "We shouldn't have done that."

Jared steps forward and reaches out, brushing his fingers through Jensen's hair. "Don't say that."

It looks like Jensen is going to say something else, but the distinctive sound of Chad's whistle floats up the stairwell and he just shakes his head instead.

_"Now, the Lone Wanderer, aka that kid from Vault 101, has done some pretty interesting things, but this one takes the cake."_

_\--Excerpt from Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

Jensen cannot believe he did that. It was just supposed to be a ruse so the guard would pass them by without questioning them. Instead, he's fucked out with come cooling in his underwear, sticking to his skin. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, Murray gives him a knowing smirk when they meet up with him on the lowest level of the aircraft carrier.

Of course the sexual release was nice, but for a second there, Jensen let himself think it went deeper than that. But the Wasteland isn't exactly wired for romance and Jared isn't the best candidate for that anyway.

He tries not to think about it as Murray hacks the lock on the door. The sign above it proclaims it to be the Science Lab, which reminds him of growing up in the Vault. His dad is a scientist and Jensen spent most of his childhood sitting on a stool, swinging his feet while his dad ran experiments to try to grow plants or build new tools out of spare parts. Jensen learned most of his Science skills from those long afternoons in the lab and they've been useful for hacks, among other things.

Through the door is a gangway and below that is a lab ten times the size of Jensen's dad's space back in the Vault. Lab assistants with clipboards are running back and forth between hydroponic gardens filled with vegetables. It's what his dad always dreamed of: coming up with a way to grow food in this hostile environment. 

At the center of the madness is an older man with slightly graying hair. He's barking directions and scribbling notes on his own clipboard; he's obviously the head scientist. Jensen wonders if this man knows anything about his dad. He can see his dad stopping here if he heard about it. 

Quietly, the three of them descend the stairs into the heart of the lab. A few people look up from what they're doing but don't say anything to them. Murray leads them to the head scientist; his name tag says 'JD Morgan', and he glares at them for a second before tilting his head at Jensen. His face breaks out into a wide grin before he engulfs Jensen in a bear hug.

"Jensen!" He steps back and looks Jensen up and down. "The last time I saw you, you were just a baby."

"You were in the Vault?" Jensen asks in confusion.

Dr. Morgan sighs. "I suppose your father never told you?"

"Told me what?"

"You weren't born in the Vault. Neither was your father. Both he and your mother worked here, with me, but they felt it would be safer for you to grow up in a Vault," he explains with a sad smile.

Jensen blinks, trying to process this news. All he's ever known about his parents was that his mother died in childbirth and that his dad is a scientist. It makes sense now though; the Overseer of the Vault never did seem to like them and treated them like outsiders. No one in the Vault seemed to know his mother or any of their history either. And with so many generations living there, that was a bit unusual.

"Anyway." Dr. Morgan clears his throat. "I suppose you're wondering where your father went?"

"Yes," Jensen answers, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Yes, I am."

Dr. Morgan walks over to a desk and pulls out some holotapes. "This is all I have. I hope it helps you."

With that, he turns away and starts yelling at an assistant about something. Jensen plugs the holotapes into his Pip Boy and hits play, his throat tightening as he hears his dad's voice.

_Project Purity: Journal Entry One_

_Dr. Morgan, Dr. Shaffer and I have convinced the board at Rivet City to let us use the abandoned lab in the lower decks of the ship to perform our experiments as long as we do not interfere with their day-to-day operations. Our goal is to find a way to filter the water in the river to remove toxins, providing clean drinking water for all denizens of the Wastes._

_Project Purity: Journal Entry Forty_

_Today's experiment was successful. We have found a way to cleanse the water, but only in small batches. It's enough to attempt to start our next phase; hydroponics. My only fear is that The Enclave will discover our secrets at the Jefferson Memorial…_

The transmission cuts off abruptly, but based on the timestamp, it was recorded the day he was born. All of the journal entries in between are missing, but it's enough. If something was going on at the Jefferson Memorial, maybe there are clues there.

"Well?" Murray asks, interrupting Jensen's thoughts.

He still suspects that the Cyborg knows more than he's telling, but Jensen figures he'll probably never get it out of him. 

"I need to get to the Jefferson Memorial."

"Today's weather: excessively violent with a chance of dismemberment! Tune in later for our 5-Day forecast!"

\--Excerpt from Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland

Jared isn't exactly thrilled about trampling across the river to get to the Jefferson Memorial. The place is probably crawling with Super Mutants and fuck knows what else. Plus, the river is radioactive sludge with Mirelurks hiding in its depths. Mirelurks may be giant, ugly fish with legs and tiny brains, but they're fiercely territorial. Chad and Jensen don't seem to see the problem with any of this; they just shoot up some Rad-X and start wading in. He's tempted to tell them he'll wait for them over here where it's safe, but instead he grumbles under his breath as he shoots up his own Rad-X before following them.

The water is warm and smells like death, but Jared supposes it's at least washing the come of the inside of his pants as he gets soaked. He's about halfway across when his foot hits something soft and he has just long enough to come to the conclusion that it's a Mirelurk egg before he's being dragged under the water.

He tries to keep his eyes shut against the burn of the toxic sludge, hold his breath, and kick at the Mirelurk all at the same time, but isn't having much luck. The creature is biting into his ankle, ripping at the skin and the pain is warring with the burning pressure in his lungs. Of all the ways he thought he'd die, this one never made the list. He thought he'd go down against a gang of Super Mutants or Deathclaws. Not because he crushed a Mirelurk's egg while trying to cross the river to help a Vault Dweller on some quest he doesn't even understand.

Jensen's lips against his, the warmth of his body as they held each other, and that one second where Jared thought they could be something more are his last thoughts before everything goes black.

_I say I’ll go through fire_  
And I’ll go through fire  
As he wants it, so it shall be  
Crazy, he calls me  
Sure I’m crazy  
Crazy in love, you see  
\--Excerpt from Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland, featuring 'Crazy He Calls Me' by Billie Holiday 

"No," Jensen screams as he watches Jared get sucked under the surface. "Jared!"

His first instinct is to dive in after him, but Murray pulls him back. "You can't just dive in there. They're swarming. We have to find another way."

Jensen looks and sees other Mirelurks moving toward the thrashing. So many of them plus their King. He understands that Jared probably disturbed one of their nests but he can't just stand there and watch someone drown. Especially not Jared. Not now.

Ignoring Murray, he struggles free and brings up his assault rifle, spraying the ones at the outer edge of the circle with bullets. It's enough of a distraction that he's able to dive into the water. The toxins burn his eyes but he keeps them open anyway in hopes of being able to find Jared. 

Instead, he sees a red mist--no, blood. He's frantic then, swimming faster and deeper. Jared is pinned to the bed of the river by a Mirelurk. It's gnawing on his ankle and the bites have gone so deep that Jensen swears he can see bone. He powers through the hoard and grabs Jared's arm, yanking him away as fast as he can. Above him, he can hear gunshots. There's more red mist and then they're finally at the banks of the river.

Jared isn't breathing. Jensen can tell that even though his eyes feel burnt out and everything is a blur. He starts CPR between desperate gasps for air of his own after being underwater for so long. There's no more gunfire and he can't hear Murray, but then again, over the pounding of his own heart, he can barely hear anything.

"C'mon, c'mon," Jensen pleads before forcing air into Jared's lungs again. "Breathe. Breathe. Please breathe."

He moves to chest compression and that's when Jared turns his head and spits up a lungful of water. Jensen holds his breath until Jared sucks in air and then he collapses on the other man's side. It's only then that he realizes he's got bites on his arms that are pulsing with every beat of his heart, little points of pain that make him gasp for breath; Jared is still worse off with his ankle. 

Slowly, Jensen crawls to where he dropped his pack and digs through it with shaking hands, looking for Stimpacks. When he finally finds them, he sighs in relief and then drags himself back to Jared. It's hard to get his hand to work well enough, but somehow he manages to plunge the needle into Jared's thigh. He's still so pale and his ankle isn't healing but at least he's breathing easy now. Jensen plunges a Stimpack in own leg as soon as he's sure Jared is stable; he'll be of no use to either of them if he goes into shock. 

They're going to have to find shelter. Jensen can shoot Jared up with all the chems in the world but until he gets rest in a bed, he'll never truly recover. He scans the horizon for Murray but doesn't see him anywhere. There's no way he can go searching and it's not like Murray can't take care of himself, so Jensen taps into his Pip Boy and looks for a place to rest on the map.

The only place that's going to have a free bed is either Megaton, where he's already burned his bridges, or Welling Tower. Either way, he's going to have to Fast Travel there. He fucking hates Fast Traveling because it scrambles his insides and makes him puke up his guts, but he doesn't have much of a choice. So he covers Jared's body with his own and then hits the combination of keys that will get them there.

_Living for you is easy living_  
It’s easy to live when you’re in love  
And I’m so in love  
There is nothing in life but you 

_\--Excerpt from Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland, featuring 'Easy Living' by Billie Holiday_

The first thing Jared sees upon opening his eyes is a Ghoul standing over him and he shrieks. Not exactly manly of him, but a flesh-eating, decaying zombie is standing over him and he doesn't even know where he is right now. The Ghoul chuckles and then steps back.

"I won't hurt you. I'm a doctor. Doctor Rosenbaum," the Ghoul tells him.

Jared allows himself to relax a bit. At least it's not feral. "Right. Uh, sure."

"Let me go get your companion."

Companion? Jared frowns and then bolts upright when he remembers what happened at the river. Has Dr. Rosenbaum gone to get Jensen or Chad? If just one is around, where is the other? Did Jensen finally abandon them?

He gets part of his answer when Jensen comes into the room and settles himself on the edge of the bed. Jared pulls Jensen into his arms and buries his face in the man's neck. Of course he's still worried about Chad, but at least he hasn't lost everyone. Not yet.

"That's the last time I let you cross a river all by yourself," Jensen murmurs against his neck. "Thought I lost you, you big lug."

"I told you, you're not getting rid of me," Jared murmurs back as he kisses Jensen's temple.

They lie there in silence for awhile. Jared takes comfort in each exhale of breath from Jensen's lips across his skin. They're alive. 

"Where's Chad?" Jared finally breaks the silence to ask; curiosity getting the better of him.

Jensen lifts his head, a deep frown on his face. "I don't know. When I pulled you out, he wasn't there."

"He wouldn't just abandon us. Something must have happened."

"I don't know." Jensen sits up and runs a hand through his hair. "You were dying and I was injured, and I had to get us to safety. I couldn't go looking for him and leave you there like that. I had to make sure… I'm sorry."

Jared pulls Jensen back to him and kisses him softly. "I understand. He'll find us, he will."

"You should rest," Jensen whispers against his lips. "Dr. Rosenbaum said you're lucky to still have your leg."

"Lucky to still have you," Jared says with a small smile.

Jensen hits his shoulder lightly. "Sap. Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"You better."

It's surprisingly easy to fall asleep, all things considered. 

_"According to reports from the ever so hoity toity Welling Tower, a group of displaced Ghouls have been trying to gain entrance. Ah, but lush-at-large Thomas Welling says, No zombies, no how! Come on, Tommy, cut the Ghoulies a break. If they've got the caps and you've got the space, it's a win-win, right? Whadaya say?"_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

Despite his promise, Jensen sneaks out of the room once Jared is asleep and heads out into the hallway. When they Fast Traveled here, they wound up in the middle of a long standing battle between Thomas Welling and a band of Ghouls. Welling wouldn't let the non-feral Ghouls into the Tower to live so the Ghouls decided to take it for themselves. Of course, in the process, a small war broke out that killed both humans and Ghouls, while Jensen and Jared lay bleeding in the courtyard. 

Jensen was about to Fast Travel them to Megaton despite the consequences, but Dr. Rosenbaum stopped them and had some of his Ghoul friends help carry them up into one of the Welling Tower's residences. 

There they recovered under the watchful eye of their savior. Meanwhile, chaos reigned below until a tiny Ghoul by the name of Kristin Kreuk managed to shoot Welling dead. At that point, the rest of the humans gave up and let everyone in, thus ending yet another pointless round of bloodshed in the Wastes. 

Walking further down the hallway, Jensen knocks lightly on the door to Erica Durance's room. She's a Lawbringer, the closest thing there is to military or police in these parts. Not that her actions are exactly sanctioned by anyone, but she does have a lot of good contacts.

"You hear anything on Murray yet?" Jensen asks once she's given him the okay to come in.

"A couple of my informants may have seen him up north. Round about Paradise Falls," she answers without turning away from her satellite communications link. 

"Paradise Falls? The Slaver camp?" Jensen blurts out in disbelief.

"I just report the news. Now scoot."

Jensen leaves her alone and walks in a daze back to Jared's room. Murray being in Paradise Falls means one of two things: either he's been captured as a slave or he's attempting to help the Abolitionists and free slaves. He refuses to believe that Murray is a Slaver himself. The man obviously has a lot of morally gray areas but that's going too far.

Jared is snoring lightly when Jensen crawls back into bed. Asleep, he looks so much younger. Although, knowing how things are in the Wastes, he could be any age at all. Some people, like Murray, live forever and some people die quickly from the radiation. Still, it's nice to see all the hard lines smooth out of Jared's face, to see him relaxed and almost vulnerable in a way he probably never is outside of sleep.

It's amazing how quickly Jensen went from hating him to being attached to him in a way that might even be love. This tattooed man with a green Mohawk who wears leather spiked with deadly metal and is alternately brave and a coward, amusing and annoying, has somehow become the center of Jensen's journey in just a few short days. 

Even if his quest is so far off track that Jensen doesn't even know where to turn anymore.

Obviously, their next stop has to be Paradise Falls to rescue Murray. Or at least scope out what he's doing up there. Jensen knows the Wastes are a harsh place and people do what they have to do to survive, but even he can't see buying and selling people like cattle.

Paradise Falls is so far north though, and Jensen doesn't have the ability to Fast Travel there. They'll have to make their way on foot, which will take weeks. Meanwhile, whatever evidence that's left of his dad will probably be long gone from the Jefferson Memorial. 

But maybe whatever his dad is doing isn't his battle to fight. Hell, he never heard one word about Project Purity until he stumbled on to Dr. Morgan. If his dad thought it was so fucking important, important enough to leave his only son behind to be taken care of by the Overseer, then why didn't he ever mention it? 

It's not like Jensen doesn't get how life-altering a large supply, possibly a never-ending supply, of clean water would be for everyone in the Wastes. If it was free for all, there would be no more competition for resources, no more factions, and maybe the world could even start to rebuild itself. On the other hand, if the technology got into the wrong hands, things would be even worse than they are now. 

"Quit thinking so damn hard. You're keeping me awake," Jared mutters.

"Sorry." Jensen kisses Jared's cheek. "Go back to sleep."

 

_"I'm coming to you live with a special report! We haven't heard squat about our old pal from Vault 101 for two weeks now, and it's been looking pretty grim. Well buck up, pilgrims! Our friend is alive and well!"_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

To say that Jared wasn't exactly thrilled when Jensen told him where Chad was last spotted is a serious understatement. If there's one thing Jared genuinely hates with all of his soul it's Slavers. His own skin is branded with their mark. Even though it's been hidden by tattoos since Jared's escape from The Pitt, he can still feel it there when he runs his fingers over the back of his neck. There's a raised mark there with his serial number and unit location. 

Although no one has tried in years, technically anyone can haul him in to the nearest Slaver camp, no questions asked. That's what happened to his parents and they're probably dead and gone now. It sickens him to think about how they must have died in agony from the high levels of radiation that ate away at their skin. 

He can't say no to Jensen though. He's a good man and determined to rescue Chad. Jared has his doubts about that; Chad isn't someone who gets captured. Chad is a Cyborg, a creature so powerful that sometimes even the Enclave runs away in fear of him. He's older than all of them and knows every trick in the book. So, no, Jared can't believe he's a Slave now. 

Paradise Falls is in the mountains, which means a long trek on tough terrain. Both he and Jensen have healed, but neither of them is at full health unless you count all the chems swimming in their systems courtesy of Dr. Rosenbaum. They shouldn't be attempting something so dangerous right now. Or ever. 

But here they finally are, on a ridge overlooking the Slaver camp.

For an hour they just sit there watching Raiders trade Slaves for caps. It's sickening. His gang never did that no matter how desperate they were. Most Raiders don't value human life that much so it's not really a surprise that most of them trade like this, but Jared wishes he didn't have to witness it.

Jensen is too busy using his Perception and tapping into his Pip Boy to notice Jared's apprehension, which is probably a good thing. He's the one with the tactical skills and if they're going to make it out alive, he needs to concentrate. 

A few minutes later, Jensen nudges him and points toward the gate. Jared lifts his binoculars to scope it out. Sure enough, Chad in chains, being led into the camp by the one around his neck. He doesn't seem to be putting up a fight and one of his bionic eyes is hanging from its socket. How did he get so damaged? 

"We've got to get him out of there," Jared whispers. "He's hurt."

"Only two ways to get in there, Jared," Jensen whispers back.

Jared knows what Jensen means without having to ask: either you go in as a Slave or you go in as a Slaver. No one else gets past those gates otherwise. He squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath before grabbing Jensen's hand and pressing it against the back of his neck so Jensen can feel the raised skin there. Jensen gasps and then pulls Jared in for a lingering kiss.

"Are you sure?" 

"Just promise that if you can't get me out, you'll kill me. Please? Promise me," Jared begs.

"I can't promise that." Jensen looks stricken, his face growing paler. "I won't kill you. I won't."

"I'd rather be dead than a Slave again," Jared says vehemently. "So promise me. Promise me or I'm not. I'm not going in there."

Jensen closes his eyes. "I promise."

He's probably lying but Jared has to take Jensen at his word for now. Without that escape hatch, there's no way Jared is willingly going into that hell hole. The stink of human despair and desperation is pungent even from this distance. It makes bile rise in Jared's throat, threatening to choke him.

"Okay," Jared whispers in defeat. "Okay, let's go."

_"Those scumbag Slavers way over in Paradise Falls have one big ole bee on their bonnet. Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Gasp! But what's this? The bothersome bumblebee looks suspiciously like a certain kid, from a certain vault... You heard it here first, faithful listeners. The Wanderer showed up at slaver central and bad guys started dropping left and right. Did they sell him a bum slave and then refuse the refund, or was it some elaborate rescue operation? But more importantly - does it even matter worth a damn? Slavers are dead, slaves are free. That's a win-win if you ask me, children."_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

In retrospect, Jensen probably could've gone in, guns blazing, without forcing Jared through the pain and humiliation of, if only temporarily, being a Slave again. He can only imagine what it must feel like to have a brand on your skin that marks you as property to be shuffled around the same way scrap metal is traded. 

Instead, they go with the ruse and make it all the way to the main compound before anyone starts to suspect anything. Of course, by then, Jensen had already planted a bomb. He and Jared took off running as it exploded; killing most of the Slavers in one go. After that, it was only a matter of picking off the rest.

Most of them try to surrender, but Jensen isn't feeling generous; he kills them all off anyway. They're the scum of humanity, the lowest of the low. People do a lot to keep alive in the Wastes, but trying to make a profit off someone else's flesh? That's just sick and wrong.

He lets Jared do the actual freeing of the Slaves while he starts looking for Murray. Jared had seemed happy to put his lock picking skills to good use even while his eyes kept darting around as though he expected the Slavers to come back to life and capture him at any second.

Jensen finds Murray in what used to be the doctor's office. He's lying flat on top of a table, most of his bionic parts cut out and tossed aside, but he's still alive, still breathing.

"I'll fucking rip your heart out if you take one step closer," Murray growls.

"It's me, Jensen."

Murray sighs heavily. "Jesus. Does that mean those bastards are dead? Fucking assholes came out of nowhere and snatched me while you were being a fucking idiot diving into the water after that bigger fucking idiot. Should've just let both of you drown and saved myself the trouble. Fucking idiots."

"How did they get you, anyway?" Jensen asks, ignoring the rest of Murray's tirade. 

"They've got lasers now. Must've shorted me out. Bet you it was the Enclave that handed that shit over. Fucking bastards." Murray gestures in the general direction of his bionic parts. "Mind handing me my eyeballs?"

"Uh, sure."

Jensen carefully picks them up and places them in Murray's outstretched hand. It's amazing how quickly the guy pops them back in. His eyes do that creepy focus thing and then he sits up.

"That's better."

"Jared is freeing the Slaves. We should get out of here after that."

Murray nods while he picks up the rest of his parts, shoving them in his discarded pack. "Back to the Jefferson Memorial."

"Yeah, I can Fast Travel us there," Jensen agrees.

_"Hey, our friend from Vault 101 is at it again. A true Exemplar, showing us all the true meaning of love, compassion, and all that other crap."_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

The Jefferson Memorial is crawling with Super Mutants and after his run in with the Mirelurks, plus the emotional strain of being around Slavers, Jared doesn't think he's ready to take on a bunch of creatures that could crush him with just a sweep of one of their huge, yellow paws. Jensen and Chad seem to have a strategy though. Apparently, Jensen is something of a sniper. So they want to get up on the old expressway and take them down from there. 

Jared thinks even that plan is a suicide mission. Super Mutants have powerful weapons that shoot long range. One of them starts noticing its brethren going down and they'll start firing in all directions. This is why he lets Chad deal with the fucking ugly things. 

"All you have to do is keep watch. One of them starts coming up from behind or the sides, you shoot it. It's simple, man," Chad tells him as he hands over an assault rifle.

Maybe it is simple for Chad but Jared isn't exactly a Gun Nut. Give him a tire iron or a baseball bat and he can do some real damage. He's got control over those weapons and they feel like an extension of his own body. Guns? Guns are machines, things he only has so much control over without proper training. 

He settles down behind a rusting car and watches out over the horizon while Jensen sets up his sniper rifle. Meanwhile, Chad is still trying to repair his bionics. Jared can't believe he survived getting them cut out, considering that Chad doesn't have many human parts left at all. 

The sniper rifle must have a silencer on it because Jared doesn't hear a damn thing except when Jensen and Chad swear under their breath. Before he knows it, Jensen is tapping him on the shoulder, motioning for him to follow them down. They walk along gang planks, keeping an eye out for any Super Mutants Jensen may have missed, until they come to the Gift Shop entrance to the Jefferson Memorial.

Of course, there are more Super Mutants inside there. 

Chad throws a bunch of hand grenades in there and then shuts the door. There's a lot of growling and stomping feet before it becomes deadly quiet. Upon opening the door, they're only greeted by corpses, which is just fine by Jared. 

Once fully in the room, they find themselves staring at a giant tank of water surrounded by gang planks and computers. It's bizarre and makes no sense whatsoever. 

Jensen immediately runs up the gang planks to the control room despite the fact that the place is crawling in radiation. Jared feels anxious watching him; he can't survive much more of this risk-taking, life-ending shit. 

It seems like Jensen is up there forever, but then he comes out of the control room waving holotapes and grinning.

"I think I found him!" Jensen shouts with glee. "My dad went to Vault 112!"

_"And now, for another exciting adventure of, "The Hero... of the Wasssssttteesss!"_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

Jensen stares down at the strange pod in the middle of Vault 112 and wonders what he's getting himself into here. He's not about to trust ancient technology in an abandoned Vault, but this is where is father went, at least according to the holotapes he recovered from Jefferson Memorial, to recover some experiments a Dr. Beaver had done back in the day. If he's gone into what must be a simulated world, there must be a reason why he hasn't come out yet. Maybe he can't get out; maybe Jensen has to go in to get him.

He turns to Jared and gives him a small smile. "It'll be okay. Just, whatever you do, don't pull the plug."

Murray snorts. "Yeah, right. You're going to put yourself in some ancient torture chamber and it's all going to be okay? Fucking crazy is what it is. You see the dying people lying in the rest of them? I don't think it's from old age."

"Of course it'll be okay," Jensen answers without looking away from Jared. "Wait for me?"

"Always," Jared murmurs before kissing him.

Jensen is reluctant to pull away, but he has to or he'll never get inside the pod. With one last look at Jared, Jensen slides into the pod, shutting the hatch down over himself. 

When he awakens, Jensen finds himself sitting on a park bench in someone's sepia toned idea of perfection. All around him are white houses on perfectly square green lawns with picket fences. It's definitely a simulation because nothing like this has existed since way before the Great War, if it ever did. 

For some reason, Jensen is shorter inside this reality. He goes to tap into his Pip Boy and finds that it's a watch instead. Judging by his height and the size of his hands, Jensen would guess that he's somehow been de-aged to about 10 years-old. One of the people in this strange neighborhood waves at him and Jensen waves back awkwardly.

"You should go play with Jim!"

The neighbor points toward the park in the middle of the circular road and Jensen's eyes meet those of a boy about the age of the body he's in. Figuring he has to play along to find his dad, Jensen walks over there to say hello.

"Want to play a game?" Jim asks as he bounces on his toes. 

"Not really," Jensen mutters.

"Fine then!" Jim kicks him in the shin and then runs away.

"I hate this place," Jensen grunts as he reaches down to rub away the ache.

He looks around the neighborhood again. Everyone is outside doing something in front of their house except for two houses; one seems to be abandoned and one has lights on inside. Jensen jogs over to the latter one and knocks on the door. The old woman who greets him immediately starts babbling on about how this isn't real and that the suffering must end. 

"Yeah, okay," Jensen interrupts. "So how do I get out of here?"

"There's a failsafe in the abandoned house. That's how Jim is controlling everything. It's horrible, just horrible. We have to end it. End the suffering for all of us."

She keeps babbling on, but Jensen leaves her there and goes around to the back of the abandoned house. Of course, it's locked. He crouches down and picks the lock before sliding inside. The place is covered in random objects but there's no computer of any sort on either of the levels. In frustration, Jensen lifts up the radio to throw it, but stops when he hears a chime. He puts down the radio and picks up a glass pitcher only to hear the same thing.

It takes him four times to get the combination right, but when he does, a panel slides open in one of the walls revealing a console. As it turns out, the failsafe is a Chinese invasion in which everyone ends up dead. It doesn't seem like the most humane thing to do, but Jensen doesn't really have a choice. He presses the key sequence to activate it and then heads back outside to watch it unfold.

All told, the slaughter of an entire neighborhood takes only a few minutes and the only person left standing is Jim. Jensen walks over there and grabs his shoulders. 

"Where's my father?"

"Not here," Jim giggles.

"Where have you taken him?"

"Do you want to play? I like to play!"

Jensen shoves him away and runs back into the abandoned house where he keys in the sequence to exit the simulation. A few seconds later, he's blinking up as the hatch opens on the pod and when he sits up, it's to find his dad staring at him from the pod across the way.

_"Grab your hankies, children, cause I've got a heart-warming tale to tell. It's about a little boy's search for his... for his daddy. Waaaahh! You see, the kid from Vault 101 has been looking for his dad, a very nice man named Alan, who left his son behind in the vault when he took off. What kind of dad leaves his kid in an underground bunker? Children, I just don't know. It ain't for MAX to judge, and you shouldn't either. But none of that matters now! Father and son were spotted walkin' and talkin' together out there in the Wastes. Here's hoping they can hold onto each other this time around."_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

Dr. Morgan and Jensen's dad are very excited over some technology recovered from Vault 112 and a GECK that may or may not still be in Vault 87. Jared doesn't really get it, but Jensen seems to and looks excited himself. It's a lot to take in at the moment. Apparently the cushy vaults weren't just meant to keep the next generations of Americans alive, no, they were all experiments too. Even in the end, the government was still fucking with the people. No surprise there, Jared supposes.

While the scientists are busy hammering out details and Murray is busy trying to finally finish repairing himself, Jensen drags Jared off to an empty apartment. It's the best idea anyone has had in ages.

Jensen practically throws Jared on the bed and then follows him down, kissing him hard. Jared settles his hands on Jensen's waist and lets him take the lead. The kiss is hot and wet and dirty, and Jared wants more. He wants anything Jensen will give him. 

Thankfully, Jensen seems to be on the same page because he starts ripping off his armor, tossing it to the other side of the room. Jared tries to help, but Jensen bats his hands away and strips Jared's armor too. Within minutes, they're both naked except for scars and tattoos and bionic enhancements. 

After flashing Jared a wicked grin, Jensen bends his head down and starts tracing Jared's tattoos with his tongue. Jared groans and reaches out to touch Jensen, but Jensen slams his wrists to the bed, pinning him there. All Jared can do is take it; every swipe of Jensen's tongue, every nip and sucking kiss. Jensen is taking his time mapping Jared's body and, even when he lets go of Jared's wrists, Jared doesn't move, he just lets him.

"This is all I've been thinking about for days," Jensen murmurs before taking Jared's cock in his mouth. 

All Jared can really do then is make a loud noise of appreciation that he hopes doesn't wake up half of the aircraft carrier. Jensen is good at this. Fantastic, even. All hot, wet suction and nimble fingers. Jared writhes and moans and thrusts his hips up a bit and Jensen takes it all. That gets Jared even hotter until he can't take it anymore and he comes hard, so hard that his vision whites out and there's a buzzing sound in his ears and he can't feel his toes.

It doesn't help that Jensen has moved on from sucking his cock to eating out his asshole. That's making Jared shake with over stimulation and want. He wants Jensen inside of him, filling him up and taking him, making Jared his. 

"Please, fuck me, please," Jared begs.

Jensen slides in a finger next to his tongue and Jared bears down against it, trying to take it deeper. A few seconds later, a second finger slides in, fucking him with slow, deep strokes. If he hadn't just come his brains out, Jared is sure his cock would be taking a lot of interest in the proceedings. 

"You ready?" Jensen murmurs.

He's absolutely gorgeous, the startling green in his eyes nearly taken over by the black of his dilated pupils. Jared nods and Jensen gets himself into position, guiding his cock into Jared's ass. There's that feeling of too much followed by not enough and Jared slams his hips down, forcing Jensen deep inside of him. Jensen moans low in his throat and then starts fucking Jared slow and easy. His eyes stay glued to Jared's, watching him with affection. 

Jared is definitely in love. 

The slow thrusts gradually deepen, hitting Jared's prostate. He moans and arches his back wanting more, faster, harder, now. Jensen gets the hint and his hips snap forward again and again, brushing against that spot inside until Jared is fully hard again.

"Want you to come again," Jensen whispers all filthy dirty in Jared's ear. "Want you to come on my cock."

"Yeah, yeah, fuck," Jared whispers back. "Want it. Want you so much."

Jensen reaches down and grasps Jared's cock, stroking it lightly in counterpoint to his increasingly brutal thrusts. It's torture of the sweetest kind, and when Jensen rubs his thumb over the slit, Jared comes for the second time, almost as hard as he did before. The warm burst of Jensen's come inside of him makes him whimper and he reaches up to pull Jensen down, crushing their lips together. 

Pulling back a little, Jensen nuzzles Jared's neck, but keeps his cock inside. "Want to just stay like this forever."

"Yeah," Jared murmurs.

_But he knows that's not going to happen. Jensen already promised his father otherwise._  
I’ve lost all ambition for worldly acclaim  
I just want to be the one you’d love  
And with your admission that you’d feel the same  
I’ll have reached the goal I’m dreaming of believe me  
I don’t want to set the world on fire  
I just want to start a flame in your heart  
\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland, featuring 'I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire' by The Ink Spots 

It's been a long time since Jensen's seen his dad this excited about something. He's rushing all over the control room where the strange tank sits in the Jefferson Memorial, making adjustments and playing with the new technology he salvaged out of Vault 112. Supposedly this machine is going to make clean water. Jensen doesn't see it quite yet, but he's not a genius like his dad. 

And maybe he's been day dreaming about Jared instead of fully paying attention to every scientific detail. 

Dr. Morgan and his dad are conferring on something when loud sounds outside interrupt their conversation. Both of them look fear-stricken, but as though they've been expecting something like this. Immediately, Jensen's dad runs into the control room, sealing the bulkhead, while Dr. Morgan pulls Jensen down into the tunnels. 

"What the fuck?" Jensen pushes Dr. Morgan away.

"It's The Enclave."

"What do they want with—"

One of Dr. Morgan's hands clap down on his mouth and Jensen gets the hint. This is not good. The Colonel of The Enclave's military force grabs Jensen's dad and shoves him toward the controls. There are some words exchanged. Jensen makes out some of it by reading lips. Something about handing over the data, the controls? Turning on Project Purity. 

How does The Enclave know about Project Purity?

He watches as his dad types something into the main console and then his eyes widen in horror as the radiation warning signals go off. His dad slumps to the floor, but his eyes meet Jensen's and he gives a half smile before mouthing, "Run!" 

Jensen knows that he can't save his dad. There's no way to go up against The Enclave and all of their technology. Still, he hesitates for half a second. He just got his dad back and now he's going to die a horrible, painful death? And for what?

Once again, Dr. Morgan grabs him and starts yanking him farther down into the bowels of the Jefferson Memorial. Jensen shoves him off and follows along until they find themselves exiting the Memorial into what must be the Citadel, home of the Brotherhood of Steel. 

"Just let me do the talking," Dr. Morgan orders as several guards come rushing toward them.

Apparently the Brotherhood of Steel know Dr. Morgan, knew Jensen's dad, and are more than happy to give them shelter. Jensen sits in their conference room and numbly stares ahead as Dr. Morgan explains the whole situation. He's not going to have time to mourn his dad; grieving is just not an option in the Wastes. 

Right now, he wishes more than anything that they had never left the Vault.

_"Tinfoil hat time, children. My eyes and ears tell me the Big Bad Government has taken over that big machine thingy at the Jefferson Memorial. You heard it here first, my friends - the Enclave is on the scene. I've got reports of flying ships and shock troops in high-tech power armor. And, when the Man showed up, a bunch of scientists went running. With them was Rivet City's own Dr. Jeffery Dean Morgan and that crazy kid from Vault 101. They're safe and sound now at the Citadel. Praise Jesus! Praise Jesus! No sign of the kid's father, though. Here's hoping Alan is okay. Well, boys and girls, what can I say? Looks like President Collins wasn't completely full of shit after all. Methinks we are screwed..."_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

"Seriously?" Murray snarls as they all stand outside of Lamplight Caverns. "This is the only way to get into Vault 87?"

"As far as I know," Jensen mutters.

He heads inside the network of caves, not bothering to wait for Jared or Murray. Not that Jared can blame him; Murray is acting like an ass right now.

"Give him a break," Jared hisses under his breath. "His father just died."

"I get that, but do you know what's down there?" 

Murray actually looks panicked, which is an odd look for him. Actually, Jared doesn't know that he's ever seen Murray like this.

"No? What?"

"Children," Murray answers, completely serious. "Little things with sticky fingers and gap tooth smiles and too much fucking energy, that's what."

"You're afraid of children?" Jared laughs.

"Shut the fuck up."

Murray stomps after Jensen, and Jared trails behind them. It turns out that the place is run by kids, but all Jensen has to do is remind them that he saved some of them from the Slavers and they let him pass. 

"Alright," Jensen says once all the kids have scampered off. "So there's the easy way and the hard way to get down to Vault 87."

"What's the easy way?" Jared dares to ask.

"We've got to hack a terminal to open the back door. But it's a hard hack. I don't have the Science skills to do it," Jensen explains with a slight frown.

"Still haven't repaired most of myself so I can't help you there," Murray sighs.

"I've got some Science skills," Jared admits softly. "Haven't used them in awhile though."

"Well, if it doesn't work, there's always the hard way," Jensen smiles.

They find the terminal and Jared sits down at it and starts typing. After a long sequence of hacks, the rock wall to his left slides open, revealing a tunnel. He's surprised that he was able to do it and happy that Jensen seems very pleased with him, not to mention that Murray even seems to be reluctantly impressed.

After following a bunch of twists and turns, they finally locate the GECK. Jensen picks it up carefully, like it's a delicate flower, but to Jared, it just looks like any other piece of rusting technological garbage you can find anywhere out in the Wastes. 

They're about halfway back through the tunnels when the explosions start. Jared pulls Jensen to the ground and covers him, trying to protect him from falling rocks and debris. That's the least of their worries though because heavy footsteps are coming their way. Maybe mutants, maybe the Enclave, but either way, it's bad news. Jared doesn't want to get separated from Jensen, so he holds him tight.

He can hear Murray firing off a weapon, more heavy footsteps, more rocks, and Jared can barely see more than a few inches in front of his face. Jensen grunts, whether in pain or annoyance, Jared can't tell.

They have to get out of here. Jared stands up and grabs Jensen, hauling him bodily down the corridor. When they're almost to the exit, they get hit from behind by a blast. Jared is picked up in the confusion and thrown against a wall. The last thing he sees is Jensen being taken prisoner by the Enclave.


	3. the american dream

_Into each life some rain must fall_  
But too much is falling in mine  
Into each heart some tears must fall  
But some day the sun will shine 

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland, featuring 'Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall' by The Ink Spots_

Jensen wakes up with a bad headache to find himself sitting in a prison cell. His pack and the GECK are missing. The last thing he remembers is watching Jared get thrown into a wall. That's when he starts to panic. He can't lose Jared again, he just can't.

"Let me out of here you motherfuckers," Jensen screams through the bars of the cell.

Almost immediately, the Colonel comes to his door and tilts his head. "You've got two choices here, kid. Deal with me and get a free ticket out of here or I'll take you to President Collins."

It doesn't make much sense to Jensen. Does the President even know Jensen is here? What does the Enclave want with him? They obviously already have the GECK.

"Why would I want to deal with you?" Jensen asks with a frown.

"The President and I have slightly different ideas on the direction the country needs to take. Maybe you feel the same as I do?"

"I pretty much feel that you people in the Enclave are a bunch of fruitcakes," Jensen responds with a smirk.

The Colonel frowns deeply. "Some of us are trying to make things right."

"So what the fuck do you want from me then?"

"The code."

Jensen blinks. "The code to what?" 

"Don't play dumb with me, you little shit," the Colonel growls.

"Trust me, I'm not playing dumb."

"The code to start Project Purity!"

"Yeah," Jensen drawls. "Don't exactly have that. That was all my dad's deal and, well, you killed him. So, no. No code."

A voice sounds over the intercom, paging the Colonel. It sounds like President Collins, but with the echo, it's hard to tell. The Colonel goes to an intercom and barks into it. Some commands are rallied back and forth before the Colonel turns back to Jensen.

"Take me to President Collins," Jensen demands when the page ends.

"Very well."

Jensen's surprised the guy gives in so easily. The cell door is opened and Jensen is cuffed and lead through a series of tunnels before being left in front of a huge door. Through the whole trip, Jensen tries to look for exits, but everything in the building looks the same. Steel doors, steel pipes, guys wandering around in full armor, over and over and over again.

When the door swings open, Jensen is surprised to find himself face to face with a computer console instead of a human being. The booming voice of President Collins surrounds him though, telling him to take a seat.

"Where are you?" Jensen asks as he sits down.

"Everywhere," President Collins answers. "I am present in the hearts and souls of true Americans. In my Eyebots that broadcast my message."

"But where are you right now?" Jensen clarifies. 

"That's none of your concern," the President snaps. 

"What, are you afraid to show your ugly mug?" Jensen taunts.

"Silence!"

Jensen is beginning to realize that President Collins isn't exactly human. It's all too much, 'don't look at the man behind the curtain,' except the man isn't a man at all. He's going to have to tread carefully here if he wants to escape.

The President goes on and on about how mutants are abominations and need to be destroyed to preserve the world for humans alone. Apparently, he has some chemical he's whipped up that when put in the water supply will kill off anyone with mutated genes. Jensen isn't all that fond of battling Super Mutants, but by now, everyone has to have some mutations from all of the radiation. Hell, he wasn't even exposed to too much of the radiation as a child and he still has unnaturally green eyes. This stuff is going to wipe out the whole world, not save humans.

He's not going to argue about it though; he just takes the vial of the chemical and runs as fast as he can toward the exit behind the massive console. President Collins can assume that Jensen is going to poison the water all he likes as long as it gets Jensen out of there.

_"I'm coming to you live with a special report! Ding, dong, the sanctimonious, self-righteous, self-proclaimed Presidential asshole is dead! The Enclave's not-so-secret base way up in the northwest just went kablooey! And I have reports, damn good ones, that Collins didn't make it out alive! Sure enough, the Enclave radio station is officially offline. Hell, check for yourself if you don't believe me! And if that weren't good enough news, word is our old friend from Vault 101 made it out of there in one piece. Keep fighting the good fight, kid! We're with you all the way! In other news, the Brotherhood of Steel has amassed a large assault force at the Citadel. Time for a showdown with the remaining Enclave forces at the Jefferson Memorial? You keep listening, children, and GNR will keep you posted!"_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

Jared listens anxiously to Galaxy News Radio in hopes of hearing anything about Jensen. MAX seems to have a hard on for him and mentions him all of the time. Chad, meanwhile, keeps repairing himself and seems nonplussed by the fact that Jensen got kidnapped by a bunch of crazy people who think they're still the government. 

Dr. Morgan and The Brotherhood of Steel have been working on a plan to take back the Jefferson Memorial, but Jared can't be bothered with that. He wants to head north to wherever the Enclave hides out and rescue Jensen. He wants to wrap Jensen in his arms and keep him safe, even if Jensen is proving to be a lot braver than Jared has ever been.

Finally, MAX makes the announcement. The President is dead and Jensen is safe. Jared collapses into a chair and resists the urge to weep. Now all he has to do is wait for Jensen to return.

Three long days later, Jensen shows up in the courtyard of the Citadel with the GECK. He's treated like the second coming and rightfully so, Jared supposes, considering what he's about to do. He doesn't care about any of that though. The world has been going to hell for a long time; it can wait a bit longer.

He rushes to Jensen and crushes him in a hug. Jensen laughs softly against his neck and hugs him back just as tight. Jared had almost forgotten the feeling of having Jensen in his arms, the contrast of soft skin and hard steel, short, spiky hair tickling his neck, the warmth of his body invading Jared's, making him hot all over.

"Fuck, I missed you," Jared tells him.

"I missed you, too," Jensen murmurs in return.

"Alright, enough of this mushy shit," Chad interrupts. "We going to kick those dumb asses out and turn the water on or what?"

Jared turns to say something to Chad and freezes. He's wearing a Brotherhood of Steel uniform. All of his bionic enhancements, his knowledge, how he seemed to know things before Jensen even did, it all makes sense now.

"Why you little Brotherhood of Steel spy!"

"Who are you calling little?" Chad raises his eyebrow. "Did you really think we were going to leave the fate of the world up to you two?"

With that, Chad turns and marches over to a group of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers, barking orders at them. Now that Jensen has returned, it's time for the final strike, time to take back the Jefferson Memorial and bring Project Purity to life.

_"All right, children. It's time for MAX to be honest with ya. Here it is, plain as day - I used to think we were all well and truly fucked. The good ole U.S. of A... ahhh, she's a mess. I had pretty much written us all off. But that was before a certain kid from Vault 101... I've always given it to you straight, have I not? For good or ill, Galaxy News Radio has been the voice of truth on these airwaves. So believe me when I tell you that I was wrong. Dead wrong. That kid from Vault 101 is the Last, Best Hope of Humanity. We'll get through this, children. You just gotta believe. For now, listen close, as I share yet another of our friend's adventures."_

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland_

The battle with the remaining members of The Enclave had been rather anti-climatic. Murray and his troops marched right in and kicked ass, knocking over The Enclave's army like they were nothing but Rad Roaches. 

But things in the Capital Wasteland are never that easy. They all should have remembered that.

One of The Enclave manages to follow the last order from their President and rigs the purifier to explode. The only way to prevent that is to get into the control booth and do a manual shut-down. Unfortunately, keying in that sequence will also lock the whole thing down and fill it with toxic radiation. It's a choice between running for the hills and living to hopefully one day build a new purifier and start all over again, or for someone to go in there and get it done. 

Unfortunately, the latter option requires that person to sacrifice their life. Jensen feels he should do it. This was his dad's life work and his dad died the same way, trying to save it. If he doesn't get up to the control booth, the entire area is going to be flooded within minutes. Not to mention that everything his dad died for will be gone, reduced to shards of glass and metal.

When he's only three steps up the stairs, Jared grabs him from behind. "You can't!"

"I have to! There's no other choice!" Jensen rips himself out of Jared's embrace and runs up the rest of the steps.

But, somehow, Murray has beaten him to it. He stands there, blocking the entrance to the control room. "Give me the sequence. I'll do it, kid."

"I can't let you die. It's my quest!" Jensen protests. 

"Remember, you were never alone," Murray says softly.

Jensen squeezes his eyes shut and then rattles off the key sequence, his mom's birthday. He barely feels Jared grab him from behind to carry him out the door as he helplessly watches Murray charge up the stairs into the control booth. Into his own death.

 

_Though things may look very dark_  
Your dream is not in vein  
For when do you find the rainbow?  
Only after rain 

_\--Excerpt from a Galaxy News Radio broadcast given in the Capital Wasteland, featuring 'Happy Times' by Bob Crosby & The Bobcats_

The Wasteland flourishes and grows in the next five years, becoming less of an endless stretch of ruins and more of a flowering paradise. Access to clean water for everyone has improved health, and there's hope that the next generation of children won't be affected by the mutations that have plagued the population for the past two hundred years. Already there has been a decrease in violence and even splinter groups are starting to come into the fold. 

Jensen spends most of the first year in mourning, for both his father and the friend he had lost. In memoriam to them both, Jensen begins helping the Scribes of the Brotherhood of Steel collect pre-war books from the ruins of what used to be the Capital City of the strongest country in the world. After the Brotherhood of Steel is done with them, Jensen takes them to a library he's building in the Jefferson Memorial. His plan is to document a complete history of the United States, especially the darkest period of it, in hopes that it will never happen again.

Jared mourns for Chad in his own way, mostly by taking his aggression out on the rusted-out cars and trucks that still litter the highway. Some call what he does to them with a lead pipe the first signs of art in the new age, but most just stay out of his way. He likes to help Jensen with his library when he's not helping Dr. Morgan with a project of his own; creating life. They found samples of animal DNA in one of the Vaults and they've been diligently working together to try to create an embryo. If they can bring back previously extinct animals, they can build a working farm and get everyone moving toward self sufficiency instead of eating whatever they can scrounge up. 

Life is easier in a lot of ways for both Jared and Jensen, but they still struggle with adapting to it. Quiet and easy is something neither of them is comfortable enough with to fully relax into a routine where they stay in the same place every night. Most of the time, one of them will wake up to find the other gone, off to explore the emerging city springing out of the Wasteland. No matter how far they wander, though, they always come back to each other.

"Maybe we should look into doing some travel," Jared casually mentions one night while they're shelving books.

"Yeah?" Jensen replies absently, his eyes focused on the spine of the book he's putting away. "What got you thinking about that?"

"Well, I mean, things seem to be going pretty smoothly here, you know?"

Jensen looks up long enough to smile at him. "I suppose they are."

"You can't tell me you don't miss it. The adventure of it all?" Jared asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe a little, but this is safer, don't you think?"

Jared grabs Jensen, pulling him tight against Jared's chest. "Since when do you like safe?"

Jensen laughs. "What makes you think I liked the adventure more? I did grow up in a bomb shelter, you know. And what did you used to call me? A pale little Vault Dweller?"

"Hmm." Jared hauls Jensen even closer and kisses him. "I'm thinking how you got all hot and bothered when we were in danger was kind of a big giveaway."

"Ever think that was just a reaction to you, stud?" Jensen teases.

"As flattering as that is…" Jared leans down to nip at Jensen's neck. "We both know it isn't true. You loved traveling the wasteland, taking care of business."

"So maybe I do crave a bit of danger," Jensen murmurs. "Where were you thinking about going?"

Jared spins Jensen around so he covers Jensen's back. He paints a picture with his hands, his voice low in Jensen's ear.

"Think bright lights, robots that still know how to serve a good martini, people that know how to have a good time, and the best music the world has to offer."

Jensen tilts his head up and looks at Jared upside down, one eyebrow raised. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Jensen laughs before turning around and kissing Jared. They make out against one of the bookshelves for a long time, just exploring each other's mouths. When Jensen pulls back and grins at Jared, it's like he's lighting up the world.

"Look out, New Vegas."


End file.
